Porch-shade.



LQGAQ.,

H. E. RATHBUN.

PORCH SHADE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-15,1917.

Patentedlhme 4, 1918.

norton-strane.

Application filed November 15, 1917. Serial No; 202,220.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY RATHeUN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Torcestelg inthe county of'lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inv Porch- Shades, of which the`-following is a speciication.

`My invention relates to porch shades or blinds, and to that class which are made 'of a series of thin strips or slats, preferably of wood, secured together, and held in place Vby tiexible strands or threads,'-`\'vhich are interwoven or twisted about said strips or slats, in 'any usual and Vwell known way, and which has'a top, and bottoni edge, of a pflu'- rality of strips or slats' secured together, as shown in my U. S. Letters Patent, No. 1,163,951. v

My invention particularly relates to an improvement in the process or method of making porch shades or lblindsof the class referred to above, andthe object'of my invention is" to reduce the cost of making porch shades or blinds'fof the class referred to, and also to produce porch Vshades or blinds with the top, and bottom edge of improved construction.

In making the porch shade or blind in the ordinary way, the'body of the shade orblind is made'of the desired length, and then the top, and bottom edge is made, by attaching one or more separate strips or "slats to the top strip or slat of the'bo'dy of the shade or' blind, and `to the bottom'stri'p or slatf of the body ofthe shade or blind, to form the top, and bottom edge.l Thisway'of making the shade or blind requires thev use of eXtra slats vor strips, which must be handled separately by the operator, and must be secured by him to the top, and to the bottom strip of the body of the'shade or blind, to make the top, and bottom edge of the shade or blind. l

In my improved method or process of making porch'shades or blinds of the class referred to, the eXtra strips or slats'forming the top, and bottom edge of theshade or blind, are not separate from the strips or slats forming the body of the shade or blind, but are made a part of the shade or blind the same as the other strips or slats, and they are secured to the strips or slats, forming the bod of the shade or blind, by the saine strands or threads which are interwoven or twisted about said strips or slats,

.SP@C itica'tion of Letters Patent.

ledges, of the shade or blind.'

man srnrns 'PATENT oratori.

E lfll-IBUN., OFWORCESTEB, MASSACIIIUS'ETTS Patented Junet,

so that in making the top, or bottom edge -of the shade or blind, no eXtra strips or slats, .made separate from the body ofthe shade or blind, are required. I

In weaving a shade or blind body the cords constitute the warp and the wooden .strips or slats form they weft or filling, and, in accordance with the present invention,

the strips or slots which are to constitute the top and bottom edges ofthe shade or blind form a continuous part of'rthe woven shade fabric intermediate the ends yof -said fabric and preferably comprise strips or lslats thicker than the' strips or slats the body of the shade or blind between the ends,

or upper and lower edges, of the latter.

After the shade or blind has been made, as above described, that portion which con- -tains the strips or slats whichform the `top 'and bottom edge of the shade or blind, is

bent or folded by the operator, so thatfthere will `be a. plurality of strips or slats extending one above the other, at predetermined distances, to form the top, 'or-bottom edge Vof t'the shade or blind. The plurality of strips yare secured together by nails, or otherwise,

and the 'attaching vcords'or strands' are then "out: in the direction vof the width fof the shade or blind, to"separate the contiguous I have shown in the drawing the different steps lin my improved method or process of making shades or blinds, "of thefV 'class referredto.

Referring to the drawing n Figure lshows a top view of a rdetached section of ashade 'or blind, "embodying my improved method of making'l shades or blinds.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2,2, Fig. il,

`looking in thev direction of arrow a, same figure.

Fig.v 3 shows the first step in the formation of the top, or bottom edge of the shade.

Fig. t shows the second step.

F ig. 5 shows the third step, and the top, or bottom edges complete, and

Fig. 6 shows the edges shown in Fig. 5, cut apart, and separated.

In the accompanying drawing, l are strips or slats, preferably ofwood, forming the'body of a shade or blind. 2 are `two strips or slats preferably of curved or rounded shape on one side, which form the outer side of the top, or bottom edge of the shade, and 3 are strips,- preferably made shade.

thicker than the strips l, which form the inner side of vthe top, of botto-1n edge of the land-hold them in place.

After the shade has been-made, with the slats or strips 2, and 3 forming` a part thereof,ras shown in Figs. l, and 2 of the drawing, the operator, to complete the shade, moves the two strips 3, toward each other, to raise the strips 2, above the plane of the body-of the shade or blind, as shown in Fig. 3. The continuedl movement of the strips 3 toward each other, causes the intermediate strips l to move down at their upper edge andtoward the strips 3, as shown in-Fig. 4, and

the continued movement of the strips 3 ,toward each other, causes the intermediate strips l to rest on the strips 3, and the strips 2 to rest on the strips 1, as shown in Fig. 5. The three strips 2, l, and 3 are then secured together bythe operator, preferably by brads or nails 5. After the strips lhave ybeen secured together bythe nails 5, the

cord or strands 4, connecting the strips 2 together, as shown at 4 in Fig. 5, are cut, leavingvthe completed top, or bottom edge onthe shade, as shown in Fig. 6. The fastening nails or brads -clamp the severed warp cords between the attached strips and thus securely hold the endsthereof in place.

I have shown vin the drawing, one of the strips 3 forming a part of the top, or bottom edge of the shade thicker than the strips 1- forming the body-of the shade, and I prefer this construction, as the brads or nails will hold better in a thicker strip, but a strip of the same thickness as the strips in .the body of the shade may be used, instead of a thicker strip. The strips 2, forming the outside of the top, or bottom edge of the shade are shown as curved or roundedon one side, and I prefer this construction, but said strips may be flat, or of adiiferent shape on the outside, if preferred.l v

The advantages of my improvements in ythe manufacture of porch shades or blinds of the class referred to, will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In making the porch shade or blind, the strips or slats forming the top, or bottom edge of the shade or blind, form a part of the shade or blind, and are connected to the ordinary strips or slats by the same strands or threads which connect the ordinaryv strips or slats together, thus doing away with the 4: are the str nds or threads, ar-

Vconstruction of my improvements in the method or process of making porch shades of theclass referred to, may be varied if desired.- V

The essential feature of my improvements consists 1n weaving into the shade kor blind,

and 'making a part thereof, in making the body of the shade or blind, the strips or slats, which make the top, or bottom edge of the shade vor blind.

l Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A porch shade or blind having the top edge and the bottom edge comprising a plurality of strips or slats, of a different thickness, which are woven in with the strips or slats forming the body of the shade or blind.

2.A porch shade or blind having the top edge, or the bottom edge, or both the p top and bottom edges, comprising a plurality of strips or slats, one or more of which is thicker than the strips or slats in the body of the shade or blind, and which are woven in with said strips or slats formingthe body of the shade or blind. A

3. An improved method of making the top edge, or the bottom edge, or both the top and bottom edges of a porch shade or blind, which consists in weavingin with the relatively thin strips forming the body of the shade, thicker stripsin adjacent pairs, then folding the thicker strips upon each other, with an intervening thin strip, and then separating the pairs 'of folded strips from each other by severing the warp cords of the fabric. Y

4. A porch shade or blind having a top. or

bottom edge, or both top and bottom edges,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

, Washington, D. C. 

